Daughter
by JazzApples
Summary: Maybe she understands now. I wonder if it is the urgency in my voice or the terrifying monsters she sees around her now. I just know she is scared. I notice the Porcuspine behind her too late. It lets loose its spines, she freezes. A spine emerges from her chest.


**A/N: Hello guys! This is just a one-shot that came to me one day. Be warned; it is quite depressing and dark, but I hope you will like it!**

She plays in the streets, my daughter. She plays with the other children, playing, chasing, chasing, laughing. She is happy.

I am watching from the window, smiling at her joy. She should have the chance to be happy; I, however, have my own cares.

My wife joins me by the window, she, too, smiling. The she looks at me.

'What's wrong? What are you worried about?' she asks me.

She knows me so well. When others struggle to see my emotions, she reads me like a book.

'Nothing.' I reply. 'It's just… there have been a number of attacks by Underworld forces on nearby villages. What if they come here?'

She puts a hand on my shoulder; I feel reassured already. 'Do not worry about the future. Enjoy the present while it lasts.'

We turn back to the window, and continue smiling.

…

The sound of screams wakes me in the night. My wife is awake next to me now, evidently terrified. I want to comfort her, tell her it will be okay, but that would be blatantly lying. I know exactly what is happening.

Underworld forces. They have come here.

When I look out of the window, my fears are confirmed. I see them everywhere, from raiding homes to chasing down villagers as they flee screaming for their lives.

I know I cannot let this happen, not while I can do something. That is why I go downstairs to get the sword displayed above the fireplace.

It was my father's, once, and his father's and his. It is mine now.

I start to head outside with it when I hear her come down the stairs. She stands there, worry and fear etched across her face.

'Don't go!' she says. 'I couldn't bear to lose you!'

I walk over to her and take her hands in mine. 'I must.' I tell her. 'I have to help save our homes, our friends.'

I look upstairs. I hear no sounds coming from my daughter's bedroom. She must still be asleep.

My wife follows my gaze. 'Stay her.' I say. 'Look out for her. If any monsters come, get out.'

She looks back at me. 'Be careful. Come back to us.'

'I will.' I reply. I take what may be a last look at her perfect face and leave.

…

It is utter carnage outside. Dying screams and shrieks of terror, the wails of families watching their loved ones fall; it is enough to drive anyone mad.

Two Monoeyes come close. I kill them both. I notice that they erupt into purple particles when killed. I wonder why that is. More Underworld enemies come my way. I plant my feet in front of my home. I wonder what the purple Underworld particles are made of.

They come close. I kill them. I notice that there are seemingly infinite numbers of Underworld enemies. This will be a long night.

I notice more people fighting. That is good. The monsters will be dispatched faster. I don't think I recognise some of them, but I do not give this further thought. I will think about it later.

I am now seemingly surrounded by Underworld forces. I wonder where they all came from.

As I fight them, I notice some slipping behind the house. I hope my wife and child could get out alright.

I vanquish some more enemies. Something flashes in the corner of my eye; I spot my family fleeing to safety in the nearby forest. I defeat three Miks with one swipe of my blade. The sooner I defeat these monsters, the sooner I can be with my family.

I am cutting through more monsters when I hear the voice.

She, my daughter, is running towards me, through the fighting. She is so young; she does not understand what is happening.

'Go!' I shout to her. 'Run!'

Maybe she understands now. I wonder if it is the urgency in my voice or the terrifying monsters she sees around her now. I just know she is scared.

I notice the Porcuspine behind her too late.

It lets loose its spines, she freezes. A spine emerges from her chest.

She is screaming. I think I am too. Underworld enemies block my path to her. I kill them all. She falls to the ground and doesn't get up. I know she is dead.

Everything is red now.

…

There is a dead Porcuspine at my feet. It promptly explodes into purple particles. I look around at other Underworld enemies on the floor. They all explode as well.

I see the last of the Underworld forces being chased off. That is good.

I look closer and see that the force driving them off is indeed not from around here, per my suspicions. The person who seems to be the leader detaches from the group and walks over to me. From closer up I see that the leader is a woman. She has cascades of blonde wavy hair and wears a simple black tunic with boots. There is a hard look on her face. I wonder what she has been through to give her a look like that.

'You did well.' I hear her say, but I cannot stop looking at the dead girl on the floor. It is unreal, the fact that she had been so full of life just a few hours ago just to have it taken away in an instant.

The woman follows my gaze. 'I'm sorry for your loss.' she says. From her voice, I think she understands.

A reply starts to form in my mind, but my thoughts are interrupted by piercing screams. I look around. I think the woman does too.

Some minions had broken off from the main group. They are whizzing about right now, but I don't know what they are trying to achieve.

But then I notice the fire.

One house in flames, now two, four, eight, ten… too many to count now.

I seem frozen to the spot. First my daughter, now this?

The woman is shouting. 'Come on! We have to go!'

The forest is on fire as well now. I remember that my wife is in there, escaping. I hope that she can get out in time.

The woman tugs my arm. 'We have to get out! NOW!' I register her voice, and turn to go. My eyes are still drawn to the body of my daughter at my feet. I scoop her up and take her with me.

Now I am on top of the hills surrounding the village. Or what used to be the village. All the buildings are on fire now. I think I see people escaping. That is good. But there are not too many of them.

The fact that I do not have a home anymore chooses this moment to crash down on me. I turn away quickly.

…

I can see the sun coming up over the hills. All the fires are out now. I am in the ruins of the forest now, looking for my wife. I do not find her, dead or alive. Hopefully that means she got away, instead of her being too charred to be recognisable.

I stop thinking about that.

I am back on the hill now, looking at my daughter's grave. I know it is a shoddy job, but it will have to do. The grave marker is a stone from what used to be a wall in the village, so in a way, I am burying the village too.

The woman comes and stands next to me. She is respectfully silent for about a minute.

'I lead a mercenary group, you know.' she tells me. 'And we usually run into the Underworld Army.' She paused, then: 'Would you like to come with us?'

'Sure.' I reply. It's not like I have anywhere better to go.

She smiles at me. 'It's good to have you on the team…' I realise she is inquiring as to my name.

'Magnus.' I tell her.

'Nice to meet you, Magnus.' she replies. She starts walking away, but she continues talking.

'We'll set off soon. Are you ready?'

'Yes.' I tell her. She continues to walk.

'Wait.' I call after her. She stops, and turns around.'

'I never got your name.' It is my turn to inquire.

She smiles. 'I have many.' She turns around and continues walking.

I take one last look at my village, then my daughter's grave before setting off after her. I probably will not return.

**A/N: Yeah, so I wanted to delve into Magnus' past a bit more. I kept his wife and daughter's names ambiguous because I thought that it would be a good effect to make it sadder. I think you all know who the woman is.**

**So I hope you enjoyed this fic! Thank you for reading!**


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